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Southern Breakfast Biscuits with Cheddar Cheese

Source of Recipe


From "It's All American Food" by David Rosengarten






List of Ingredients



• 2-1/4 cups White Lily flour (or 2 cups all-purpose flour), plus a little extra for the cookie cutter
  
• 2-1/2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
  
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
  
• 3/4 tsp salt
  
• 6 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces and chilled well
  
• 1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, chilled (grate on smallest holes of grater)
  
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  
• 2/3 cup chilled buttermilk
  
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
  






Instructions



1. Preheat oven to 425º F and adjust oven rack to the middle setting. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Add cold butter and cut together with 2 knives or a pastry blender, until the flour resembles coarse meal. This can also be done in a food processor with about 10 to 15 quick pulses.
   
   
2. Add cheeses to flour mixture in the bowl and toss lightly with a fork to separate cheese strands and coat with flour. Add buttermilk all at once and toss with a fork until just combined. Don't overwork. Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2 or 3 times, just until it comes together. Pat or roll out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Dip a 2-1/4-inch cookie cutter into some flour and shake off excess.
   
   
3. Cut biscuits and place about 1/2-inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Gather scraps together and pat out again to cut additional biscuits (though these won't be as light and fluffy as the first ones). Brush biscuit tops with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking time, until browned on the bottom. Cool biscuits on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving, to allow internal steam to finish cooking biscuits. Serve very warm, with butter or gravy.
   
   Makes about 12 biscuits.
   
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   SOUTHERN SAUSAGE CREAM GRAVY
   
   • 1 lb. crumbled pork breakfast sausage (see note)
   • 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
   • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
   • 3 cups 2-percent milk
   • Salt and pepper
   • 6 Southern Breakfast Biscuits with Cheddar Cheese
   
   Place the sausage meat in a large, straight-sided sauté pan over medium heat. As the sausage is cooking, break it into small pieces with a fork. Once all of the sausage crumbles are lightly browned and fully cooked, place them and the pan juices in a small bowl. Reserve.
   
   Add the shortening in the hot pan. Once it has melted, add the flour, stirring it slowly with a whisk. Stir the mixture constantly to brown the flour evenly. Cook the mixture until the flour is slightly browned (about 3 to 4 minutes). The mixture should smell nutty, not burned. Then add the milk to the pan, stirring constantly with a whisk until the gravy comes to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
   
   Using a spoon, add the reserved sausage meat and the pan juices to the gravy. Mix well with a wooden spoon, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. (The gravy should be a medium-thick sauce; if necessary, the gravy can be thinned by adding warm milk.) Using your hands, split the biscuits in half. Place 2 halves, split-side up, on each of 6 plates. Cover each half generously with warm gravy. Serve immediately.
   
   Makes 6 servings.
   
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   NOTE:
   You can use either bulk breakfast sausage or sausage links; if you use the latter, take the meat out of the casings and discard the casings. But the type of sausage you use is important. Southern brands of sausage, such as Jimmy Dean, have lots of seasoning; other brands can be blander. If you're using a bland one, simply blend some powdered sage, cayenne and freshly ground black pepper into the meat, to taste.